Designing a 'grown up' space that's shared by children

Dear Marc: I have always dreamt of having a nice seating area in my house where I could entertain guests in a ‘grown up setting.’ Since I have two children, my living room seems more like a playroom than a formal living room. I don’t have a family room in my house, so I can’t place the television and toys in another room. What do you suggest I do to make my designer ‘grown up’ room come true? — Vivian

Dear Vivian:As parents, we often dream of a place that we can call our own. It doesn’t mean we love our children any less, it just means that after all those ‘peek-a-boos’ and baby talk, it’s nice to reconnect with our adult self in a space we can call our own.

Many of us live in older homes that don’t have family rooms where we can store all of little Jimmy and Betty’s toys and hide that plasma television used for movie night. However, every room can maximize its functionality by integrating multi-functional design elements, such as furniture that also acts as storage units for toys and armoires that hold entertainment devices. The key here is to have enough storage in the room to easily put away toys when you are entertaining friends with your spouse. Nobody wants her guests to trip over a toy truck on their way to the sofa!

As for furniture selection, choose durable fabrics. Patterned fabric in high-traffic spaces is a must. Therefore, if a child spills something on your new sofa, the pattern will help camouflage the stain. I would also suggest investing in sofa covers. They are a great way to change the look and colour scheme of a room, and they can be changed when they become stained.

Flooring material must also be considered. Hardwoods are a great alternative to carpeting, since they can easily be cleaned. They also act as a neutral in your colour scheme, which again gives you the opportunity to easily update the look of the room.As for accessories, less is more! If you place many delicate accessories in a room filled with children, something is bound to break.

When choosing accessories for your new space, select quality durable pieces that can withstand a few bumps and scratches. If you look at a product in a store and think to yourself, ‘If I throw this on the floor, it will break,’ put it back, as it isn’t the right accessory for design projects involving children.

Once you’ve chosen your flooring, accessories, and furniture, consider updating the sheen of the paint on your wall. The higher the sheen, the easier it is to clean. Every paint company seems to have different names for the amount of sheen a paint will exude. Simply ask your local paint supplier for high-traffic-area paints.

Marc Atiyolil is the editor-in-chief of Canadian Home Trends — Canada’s Home Decor & Lifestyle Magazine.

To submit a question for Marc Atiyolil, visit CanadianHomeTrends.ca.

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